


The Story of Connor Judge.

by Otava



Category: Ripper Street
Genre: Gen, Mentions of Death, Spoilers, gaurdian!Ed, its planting seeds in a garden you never get to see, legacy, minor jackson bits, s5, what is a legacy?, working title: our son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:04:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9431840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otava/pseuds/Otava
Summary: ***MAJOR SPOILERS FOR S5 BELOW***A mostly cannon continuation of Ripper Street:Homer Jackson is dead and he had left everything to Edmund Reid, including his son.Can Reid deal with raising a child that reminds him of his past friends by himself?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this the day after I watched S5 and haven't really touched it since.  
> Its finally been enough time where I think I'm ready to write, edit and post this story again.  
> But I'm still sad and bitter about the ending. I probably will always be.
> 
> I've seen a few 'Alternate Ending fics' where everyone lives but I really wanted to write one that was as close to the cannon as possible but could still be happy. Guardian Ed seemed plausible.

Reid thumbed through the bundle of letters he had just fetched from his departmental post box. One particular letter stood out right away; it was from America. He opened it swiftly, as it could only be from one person. A old and familiar ring slipped out of the envelope, immediately causing concern; his blood ran cold. That was not a good sign, Jackson would never part with that ring unless- The letter’s contents confirmed his nagging and immediate suspicion: Matthew Judge, or Homer Jackson as he knew him, was dead. And strangely enough, he had left everything to him. Everything. 

It had not yet been two years since Jackson had left Whitechapel and he was already dead. Now his only son was an orphan, a ward of the state with no known living relatives. Being an orphan was truly a terrible fate to cast upon a child. Most likely a child as young as he would perish in but a few years if American orphanages were anything like the ones in London. Similarly, the boy was still too young to make it on his own in the streets. Leave it to Jackson to rescue two other children at the cost of his own.

The fact that he had died in such a uneventful way, heart failure, was surprising to Reid. Jackson had been through so much but hadn’t died despite many close calls in the 10 or so years Reid had known him. Reid secretly suspected that the reason his heart gave out was because he couldn't survive without Susan. He became increasingly responsible and vulnerable the day she told him that he would be a father, it had changed him. He changed even more the day he knew that he had to become a single father and go on to raise his only son without Susan.

The day he said goodbye to his wife, had been hard on everyone. But there was nothing that could be done to change anything. After Susan was pulled away in the cart and disappeared from sight, Jackson and his son separated from Reid for the day, they needed time alone. Reid decided to visit them the next morning.

“Good Morning, Captain,” Reid smiled weakly, as he walked into Jackson and his son’s small room.

“‘Morning, Reid.” Jackson looked as if he hadn't slept a wink. He probably hadn’t.

Reid entered the threshold of the small room that Jackson had been living in during the time he had been trying to save money for Susan’s trial and found Jackson’s boy sound asleep on the bed.

“He slept the through whole night,” Jackson remarked, sitting himself on the corner of bed next to his son. “I don’t think he understands that she’s gone away forever yet. She’s _always_ come back to him no matter what.”

There was a small chair that Reid pulled up to sit by Jackson on the side of the bed. The child was still sprawled out on the bed, sleeping blissfully and unaware of his presence. “How are you holding up?”

“Honestly,” Jackson smiled, pausing. “Not well. If I didn’t have Connor, here, to worry about I probably would have drunk myself to death already. How did I let this happen, Reid?”

“You didn’t. It was her choice.”

“But why did she do it! She’s a mother, she has a son to take care of, goddammit. Our son! And she just abandoned him. She abandoned me!” Connor stirred as Jackson raised his voice. “It’s okay, go back to sleep,” Jackson said, running his fingers through his son’s hair in a comforting manner.

“I think-,” Reid started, “I think that she felt she had to.”

“I know she did. But she had me and Connor to think of too. We were going to get out of the country together… we were all about to leave when you got captured. Why did you do that, huh?”

“For my daughter. Why did you turn yourself then?”

“For you.” Jackson turned to look him in the eyes. “I didn’t want to at first. I was just going to leave you-”

“But you didn’t.”

“Susan...she told me that-” Jackson choked out these words and buried his face in his hands. He had been fine up to that point and hadn’t cried or broken down since he last saw her. Leave it to him to do it in the presence of Reid, someone he learned to trust almost as much as his wife.

“It’s alright, Jackson.” Reid attempted to comfort his friend but Jackson pushed his hand away, shaking his head.

Jackson took in a deep breath, trying to compose himself, determined not to cry. She wouldn’t want that. “What am I going to do without her?” he let out in a pained voice. 

“You’re going to keep on living.”

“Reid. I don’t know- I don’t know if my heart can take it. I fought so hard to keep her alive. Worked continuously for three years. Saved all my money for her. Now, I don’t know what to do with myself now that she’s gone.”

“Well, it looks like you're doing something right,” Reid smiled, gesturing to the sleeping boy, a reminder.

* * *

“I need to start over.” Jackson told Reid over dinner a few nights later. “That’s why I asked you here. I’m going back to America for a fresh start and all that. I have a nice quiet place in mind, Helena, Montana. You would like it there, Reid. It’s a busy town with a lot of modern luxuries, it's also close to a forest and river for a nice weekend escape. Imagine that.”

“Sounds nice.”

“You are welcome to come along too. If ya want, that is.”

“No, I don’t imagine a good idea.”

“Why?”

“My place belongs here.”

* * *

“I can keep watch over your boy if you want,” Reid said to Jackson. Jackson hadn’t seen his wife since they parted ways with her in the street.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Reid. Thank you”

He didn’t visit her.

* * *

“I told your wife about your plans, she thinks that it will be good for you two to go away. She told me Whitechapel wouldn't be a good place to raise him after all that's happened....”

“Marvelous.”

* * *

“We’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Jackson, tomorrow is also the day that-”

“Can I ask you one last favor of you? It will be the last ever, I promise.”

“Name it.”

“Can you... be there for her when… _it_ happens. I think she would greatly appreciate it.”

“I will. I give you my word.”

* * *

And so, Long Susan Hart, also known as Caitlin Swift was sent to the gallows, the life was choked out of her and then she was buried. Reid had called in a favor and was able to bury Susan in a marked grave. 

They buried her as Catlin Judge. Nobody but Reid ever visited, despite one visit each by both Mathilda and Mimi. Reid’s own visits to her grave became increasingly infrequent over time. He even noticed as well that Bennet’s much-loved grave sported less and less flowers with each visit.


End file.
